: grants, jobs, news
[ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of William Silvert [cien...@silvert.org]
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 10:38 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: Decline in education- student's
perspective
I think that Derek's older gentleman
E. Pursell
--- On Fri, 1/22/10, Wayne Tyson landr...@cox.net wrote:
From: Wayne Tyson landr...@cox.net
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: Decline in education- student's
perspective
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Date: Friday, January 22, 2010, 9:14 PM
Honorable Forum on Ecology
: sábado, 23 de Janeiro de 2010 6:20
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: Decline in education-
student's perspective
A good friend of mine, an older gentleman who has worked as president for an
environmental NGO in the northeast for years, put it to me in a particularly
striking way
or love (or even
like)
learning. I don’t know how many times
through school I’ve heard “D stands for Diploma.”
Regards,
Frank Marenghi
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:00:08 -0700
From: bangr...@isu.edu
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: Decline in education
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Dave has hit upon a major difference between today's students and those
in the past: a strong tendency towards continuous multi-tasking, and
failing to focus upon one thing at a time.
For the last month or so I have been mentoring an undergraduate at KU
who approached me for assistance with
In response to the suggestion that lack of money removes bright students
from the college pool Jane Shevtsov wrote:
I don't think this would be a very strong influence. Bright students
with little money get financial aid, sometimes to the point of a free
ride. It may be harder for middle-class
Of Jane Shevtsov [jane@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:47 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: IQ
I don't think this would be a very strong influence. Bright students
with little money get financial aid, sometimes to the point
Martin (I apologize to all list members who might be offended and to the
moderator for not being able to express myself more effectively), but it
sounds to me like you are suggesting that we baffle 'em with b.s. If
that is how providing help to activists works, then those some people
are just
I don't think that students' education level has declined. 20-30 years ago,
few high school students went to higher education, but now, having a bachelor
degree is almost required for many jobs. In response to the demand for higher
education, many universities increased school capacities,
Message-
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Val Smith
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 9:28 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: Decline in education
Dave, you are not being
As scientists, we should always consider the accuracy and precision of
our work. Science is wondering and testing and sharing, over and over
again. Our communication is part of the sharing phase; we must make
sure our words convey our messages.
Sometimes jargon, baroque phrasing, and other tools
-L] now I've seen it all: Decline in education
Just for information's sake, more than a decade ago I helped to create
the University of Kansas' Center for Teaching Excellence
(http://www.cte.ku.edu), and like other teaching faculty at KU, I follow
its well-thought-out, professional
@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: Decline in education
Just for information's sake, more than a decade ago I helped to
create
the University of Kansas' Center for Teaching Excellence
(http://www.cte.ku.edu), and like other teaching faculty at KU, I
follow
its well-thought
Why would this discussion give the impression that students are taking
only one ecology course? To earn a bachelor's degree today, you have to
take about 120 semester hours. To hear a bachelor's degree in the
Archaean (when I was an undergrad), you had to about 120 semester hours.
Textbooks
I have been wondering if the increase in the unequal distribution of
wealth and the increased costs of higher education might be causing a
large shift towards college students who fall into the middle of the
bell curve. I recall reading at least one study which showed no
relationship between
are self-confident can afford to be more flexible.
Bill Silvert
- Original Message -
From: David M. Lawrence d...@fuzzo.com
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Sent: segunda-feira, 18 de Janeiro de 2010 21:19
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
I'm well aware of the pressures
Also, SAT/ACT tests as recently as the 1980's were not required by all
schools, especially if you had stellar grades. When I applied to
undergrad, if you were in the upper 10% you didn't need to take the
test. Now, virtually everyone takes it. Seems like you could get an
increase as more and
Dave, you are not being unreasonable at all. The responses that you
mention stem from intellectual laziness and/or short-term-oriented
learning strategies. I, too, have had my students say, just tell me
what I need to know, and it is very clear that they indeed wish to
shovel in the
I've been teaching college biology and ecology for more than 20 yrs,
and I'm not convinced that this supposed decline in student
preparedness and attitudes is real. I've always had a mix of poorly-
prepared, bad attitude students and well-prepared, intellectually
adventurous ones. Of
Try the Socratic Method sometime. I did, for my entire career of 40
years. But, it was not popular, though I was sometimes (and sometimes
definitely not) a popular instructor. The general word was that I
refused to answer questions (because I responded with questions intended
to elicit
?
-Original Message-
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Val Smith
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 9:28 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: Decline in education
Dave, you
I can't imagine what data could objectively show whether education has
gotten worse. Education has changed with changes in both technology and
education theory. Even if standardized tests (and the pool of students
taking them) had not changed, scores on them probably would, yet those
changes in
B.
Bill Silvert
- Original Message -
From: David M. Lawrence d...@fuzzo.com
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Sent: domingo, 17 de Janeiro de 2010 18:44
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
As a scientist AND a journalist, I would say that Orwell is right, and
that you seem
Message -
From: Cara Lin Bridgman cara@msa.hinet.net
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Sent: domingo, 17 de Janeiro de 2010 10:16
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
Orwell, via Jane Shevsov, makes excellent points. These are points I keep
trying to make to my students who
. Lawrence d...@fuzzo.com
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Date: Sunday, January 17, 2010, 1:44 PM
As a scientist AND a journalist, I would say that Orwell is right, and that you
seem to be sorely misguided. There is nothing wrong with writing CLEARLY
that person clearly understood everything I said. David McNeely
On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 8:08 PM, David M. Lawrence wrote:
Forwarded at Henshel's request...
Original Message
Subject:Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:56:25 -0500
From: Diane
On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 2:04 PM, Val Smith vsm...@ku.edu wrote:
I lay much of this decline at the feet of their parents, who seem to care
progressively less and less about knowledge. I recall a particularly
notable incident from over a decade ago, when my youngest daughter's grade
school
Subject: WAS: RE: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell; NOW: origin
of foods
Bill's mother is certainly correct: Central and South America have yielded
many foods now widely cultivated and enjoyed.
I still maintain that few contemporary foods appear to have originated north
of Mexico
?
Geoff Henebry
-Original Message-
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of William Silvert
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 4:06 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell
I must
Jane Shevtsov wrote:
Yes, it would be interesting to see some scans of the book, although
somebody who has actually taken a college-level health class would be
better positioned than I am to compare the book to modern ones.
...
And here are Orwell's prescriptions:
(i) Never use a metaphor,
...@fuzzo.com wrote:
From: David M. Lawrence d...@fuzzo.com
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Date: Sunday, January 17, 2010, 1:44 PM
As a scientist AND a journalist, I would say that Orwell is right, and that
you seem to be sorely misguided. There is nothing wrong
-Original Message-
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of William Silvert
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 4:06 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell
I must take issue
Geoffrey, certainly pecans and hickories and their variants originated in
the US. I assume that all of those western berries like salmon berries,
logan berries, etc. did too, just as we have wild blackberries all over the
south. The small native persimmon also is good to eat. Blueberries as
I'm well aware of the pressures to write badly -- bad writers who don't
realize how bad they are tend to make bad editors who want everyone else
to sink to their level. A lot of the conflict is the pressure to
maintain the elite priesthood versus one of the alleged purposes of
science, i.e.,
I watched my evaluation scores decline when I switched to active
learning. I got tired of lecturing from powerpoints that the students
could memorize, regurgitate on tests, and quickly forget.
Somehow, it was unreasonable for me to expect the students to show up
for the lectures prepared and
increasingly
crowded with certified slippers-by . . .
I weep in outrage.
WT
- Original Message -
From: Val Smith vsm...@ku.edu
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 12:04 PM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
At age 60, I estimate that I personally
Subject: WAS: RE: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell; NOW:
origin of foods
Bill's mother is certainly correct: Central and South America have
yielded many foods now widely cultivated and enjoyed.
I still maintain that few contemporary foods appear to have originated
north of Mexico
. Are
there others?
Geoff Henebry
-Original Message-
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of William Silvert
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 4:06 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
I should have chosen my words more carefully and made a distinction between
intelligent and educated. I didn't mean that children are becoming more
stupid, as in their IQ or mental capacity. I meant that are children are
becoming less and less educated. Fewer children are being given adequate
...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of William Silvert
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 4:06 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell
I must take issue with the phrase one of the few foods native to
North America and would like to reciprocate Geoffrey's
I'm shocked to find myself defending the general public, but I do think that
you are grossly overstating the issue. The American understanding of
advertising is complex. Individual's reactions are not simply based on what
they are told, especially in an advertisement. If this were true, you would
Is it really oversimplification and is it really a problem? I agree
that things 8th graders were reading 100 years ago are things college
students struggle with now. Take children's literature, such as Alice
in Wonderland (which does not present a wordy style) or What Katy Did
Next (which is
You make a really good point and I appreciate that you are bringing up this
important issue. I am an environmental educator and have worked with
hundreds of students from across the country over the past few years. Here
is a shocking fact I learned during my graduate studies: most of what
children
only read Hemingway, we
are in real trouble.
Bill Silvert
- Original Message -
From: Jane Shevtsov jane@gmail.com
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Sent: domingo, 17 de Janeiro de 2010 4:57
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
And here are Orwell's prescriptions:
(i) Never
On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Alyson Mack alym...@gmail.com wrote:
the sad truth is, our children ARE becoming more stupid every year. The fact
Do you have any evidence for this claim? IQ scores have been rising
pretty steadily for a century. (Look up the Flynn effect
, 2010 2:16 AM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
Is it really oversimplification and is it really a problem? I agree
that things 8th graders were reading 100 years ago are things college
students struggle with now. Take children's literature, such as Alice
in Wonderland (which
As a scientist AND a journalist, I would say that Orwell is right, and
that you seem to be sorely misguided. There is nothing wrong with
writing CLEARLY. Active voice, fewer syllables, etc., etc., do
absolutely nothing to lower reading comprehension among the masses. It
does absolutely
Well, the original poster was not decrying the streamlining of writing,
or the lack of difficulty in reading conveying the same information as
more difficult reading. He was decrying the reduction in information
content of modern textbooks compared to older ones. As a long-time (40
years,
is the end rather than the beginning of communication.
WT
- Original Message -
From: William Silvert cien...@silvert.org
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 9:08 AM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell
It is interesting to see how
Forwarded at Henshel's request...
Original Message
Subject:Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:56:25 -0500
From: Diane S. Henshel dhens...@gmail.com
To: David M. Lawrence d...@fuzzo.com
CC: ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu
Thank you
: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell
With respect to the biofuels potential of one of the few foods native to
North America, Helianthus tuberosus, let me suggest an entertaining read:
The Great Jerusalem Artichoke Circus: The Buying and Selling of the Rural
American Dream by JA
-
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of William Silvert
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 11:09 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell
It is interesting to see how scientific
news blogger - http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news
-Original Message-
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Hanno Murphy
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 8:31 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now
From:
malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org
Date:
Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:11:47 -0600
At what point does the scientific community realize that the current
surge in patent medicines and nonsense medical devices are seriously
eroding the nation's confidence in science?
This is not directly
At age 60, I estimate that I personally have taught, advised, and
mentored more than 2,500 college undergraduates over a period of 37
years. From 2007-2009, I also served as Interim Director of KU's
Undergraduate Biology Program, the single largest undergraduate teaching
unit at the
Dear Malcolm,Extinction risk for almost all the charismatic endangered species
today (terrestrial and marine) is linked to the fallacies you describe,
particularly to the promise of aphrodisiac power. Rhinoceros horns, seaturle
eggs, Bengal tiger testicles, dried up seahorses, shark fins, live
Its actually much worse than that. A retired friend of mine brought
me a book on Human Health.
It was dated around 1908. The student who read this book would
require a much higher reading
comprehension, larger vocabulary, and greater dedication than a
student using the health book
widely used
Let me play devil's advocate on this one. Is a more difficult-to-read
textbook better than an easier one that conveys the same information?
My impression is that writers like George Orwell and E.B. White were
largely responsible for the increased streamlining of modern prose
compared to that of
Yes, it would be interesting to see some scans of the book, although
somebody who has actually taken a college-level health class would be
better positioned than I am to compare the book to modern ones.
Your points about vocabulary and reading comprehension are interesting
and I have to thank you
@gmail.com
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Sent: Saturday, January 16, 2010 2:19 PM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
Let me play devil's advocate on this one. Is a more difficult-to-read
textbook better than an easier one that conveys the same information?
My impression is that writers like
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